PM Modi, Trump Discuss West Asia Crisis, Stress Open Strait of Hormuz
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone on Tuesday (March 24), their first conversation since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28. The call was announced by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and soon after by the prime minister.
President Donald Trump just spoke with Prime Minister Modi. They discussed the ongoing situation in the Middle East, including the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) March 24, 2026
PM Modi said in a post on X that he had a "useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia" with President Trump. He said India supported de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest, and highlighted the global importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz "open, secure and accessible".
The leaders agreed to remain in touch regarding "efforts towards peace and stability", Modi said in the post.
Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia. India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world.…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2026
The conversation came a day after Modi addressed Indian parliament on the escalating conflict in West Asia, saying it was expected to have a long-lasting impact on economies around the world, including India, especially related to energy security.
Tuesday also saw external affairs minister S. Jaishankar meet Iran's envoy to India, Mohammad Fathali, to discuss the conflict. “Appreciate the support provided to Indians in Iran in these challenging times,” Jaishankar wrote on X.
Modi also had a phone call with Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayake, with the two leaders saying they discussed the conflict and its implications on global trade in particular.
They also spoke about bilateral cooperation on the energy and regional security fronts, they wrote on X. New Delhi said last week that Sri Lanka alongside Bangladesh and the Maldives had requested it for energy-related assistance. India already has a diesel supply arrangement with Dhaka and is “examining the requests received from other countries as well”, the external affairs ministry said.
Modi's call with Trump came a day after diplomatic parleys by Turkiye, Egypt and Pakistan, held separately with the US and Iran, were credited with the US decision to pause strikes on Iranian power and energy infrastructure. Trump had cited "very good" talks with Iran, though Iran denied negotiations were held and signalled lack of trust in the efforts on the US side.
The Iranian embassy in Pakistan put out a strongly worded post on Tuesday afternoon along with a diagram representing Zero Trust Architecture, a cybersecurity model:
- There are zero trust after two rounds of strike amidst talks.
- With bullying and totalitarian literature, there's no chance.
- Iran regards US request for negotiations as another attempt for deception to recover, find out loophole and synapsis to aggravate the strikes again. pic.twitter.com/UJ9dAlfOib— Embassy of IR Iran Pakistan (@IraninIslamabad) March 24, 2026
On Tuesday, Pakistan offered to host peace talks between the US and Iran – signalling mediation efforts were well underway – seemingly supported by Trump, who reposted the following remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Truth Social.
Reports until Monday night indicated that Trump withheld a military escalation aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz due to behind-the-scenes negotiations.
Iran had blocked, by March 2, two days into the joint US-Israeli strikes on the country, access to the Strait of Hormuz to shipping companies, leading stock markets to tumble and the price of crude to touch USD 119 a barrel. Prices then cooled somewhat, but have remained close to USD 100 a barrel.
Trump's remarks postponing the hits on Iran's energy facilities – which he announced on Truth Social on March 23 – were interpreted in Iran as a retreat and an effort to keep oil prices low.
At the same time, Iran has been stressing that the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and gas supply passes from oil-rich regions to the rest of the world, "was not closed".
Foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi shared a tweet on X saying as much on Sunday (March 22):
- Strait of Hormuz is not closed. Ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated—not Iran
- No insurer—and no Iranian—will be swayed by more threats. Try respect
- Freedom of Navigation cannot exist without Freedom of Trade. Respect both—or expect neither
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 22, 2026
Amidst the ongoing disruptions, several Indian oil tankers have been allowed passage by Iran through the Strait in the last roughly one week. LPG tankers Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, and earlier Shivalik and Nanda Devi crossed the strait with fuel supplies.
On March 24, a day after the US ended, for a thirty-day period, the sanctions on export of Iranian oil, a report in Reuters citing unnamed sources said that Reliance Industries has purchased about 5 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, the first such purchase by an Indian refiner since 2019. The oil has, according to Reuters' sources, been priced at a USD 7 per barrel premium over Brent crude, which serves as the benchmark in the futures market.
This article went live on March twenty-fourth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty-four minutes past eight in the evening.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
